Each year, the Mississippi Legislature earmarks $3.8 million for the state’s 16 ports along the Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River and Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.
Columbus-Lowndes County Port Director John Hardy was in Jackson last week for the quarterly meeting of the Mississippi Water Resources Association and the Mississippi Intermodal Council, held in conjunction with a legislative breakfast, to encourage legislators to continue the funding.
“We will be able to apply for project funding” Hardy said Thursday, a report he made to the Port Authority on Wednesday morning. “We don’t always get what we apply for, but normally you will get something each year. That’s a good thing.”
The Legislature filters grant money to the ports through the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Road improvements near the Kior plant were completed, in part, with a grant from the Mississippi Development Authority. The city of Columbus, Lowndes County and the Port Authority are sharing the remaining cost — $234,582 — for the addition of a third lane to Industrial Park Access Road. The MDA grant provided $150,000. The Kior plant is about 75-percent complete, company officials reported to the Columbus-Lowndes County Port Authority Wednesday. The plant will make biofuel.
Port Authority members toured the plant Wednesday. And John Hardy said about 400 people are working on the facility.
Since Kior secured about 30 acres of land at the port, the Columbus-Lowndes County Port has about 50-60 acres available for development, out of a total of about 180 acres.
The Port operates with a $350,000 annual budget, not including grants, and gets its revenue from lease charges and tonnage fees from industries using the port.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.